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Book Description

| Age Level:9 - 12 | Grade Level:7 - 7

In the irresistible first novel by the author of The Hunger Games, a boy embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny -- and find his father. New cover art coming July 1st!

In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling series by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

In the irresistible first novel by the author of The Hunger Games, a boy embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny -- and find his father. New cover art coming July 1st!

In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling series by Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games, young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-In this accessible, almost-cinematic fantasy, Gregor and his two-year-old sister fall into an amazing underground world. Taken in by people who have lived beneath the earth for centuries, the 11-year-old learns about the giant-sized talking creatures that also reside there, including bats, cockroaches, and vicious rats. Gregor just wants to get home, but a prophecy hints that he may be the "overlander" destined to save the humans from the warlike rodents. He is reluctant until he learns that his father, who disappeared from their New York City home a few years before, is a prisoner of the rats. Gregor is not an eager hero, but with common sense, quick thinking, and determination he grows into the role. His sister, who provides some comic relief, also plays a key part because of her ability to befriend creatures, especially the giant cockroaches. Plot threads unwind smoothly, and the pace of the book is just right. Exciting scenes and cliff-hanger chapters are balanced by decisions and interactions that drive the action. Gregor is not the most compelling figure at first, but as the story progresses he becomes more interesting, maturing through the challenges he faces. Supporting characters are generally engaging, particularly the enigmatic warrior rat that claims to support the protagonist's mission. This is an engrossing adventure for fantasy fans and for those new to the genre.Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, ORCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

First, let me say that I am nearly 25, and graduated college with a degree in English. Read the Hunger Games trilogy, and like many others, was left wanting more after the final book. Realized this was Collins' only other book series, so ignored the fact that it was more "for kids" than the HG series, and bought the first book for my kindle. I have honestly read all 5 in less than 2 weeks, finding myself once again drawn into a world of Collins' making, containing her noteworthy descriptions and numerous-yet-individual characters.

Also, as she did in the HG series, I found Collins planting an underlying message in the Underland Chronicles-- this time, she questions whether war is always a "right vs wrong" situation-- and I thought this to be a positive contemplation for kids and adults alike. If you can look beyond the fact that the main character is 12 (much like you could look beyond Katniss' age in the HG books) then this is worth the couple of bucks to read!

In the sea of young adult fiction out there, Gregor the Overlander makes for one of the more pleasant anchorages. The book starts off quickly with Gregor and his two-year-old sister "Boots" falling through a gateway into the Underworld, a sprawling underground land populated by giant talking cockroaches, rats, bats, and spiders, along with several thousand pale humans descended from a 17th century "overlander" who led his small group into the Underworld then sealed the entrances. This descendant left a string of prophecies, including one which seems to point directly to Gregor as the one who may or may not save the humans in their ongoing war with the rats (as is often the case with prophecies, this one is somewhat lacking in clarity). Gregor has a more personal issue at stake; it turns out his father, who had disappeared a few years earlier, had also fallen through into the Underworld and has been held captive by the rats all this time as they seek to use his knowledge of science and engineering. Luckily, Gregor's desire to save his father dovetails with the prophecy and soon a band of rescuers is formed and the journey begun. Being a young adult novel, the story moves along swiftly, without a lot of detailed description of either setting or society, but if the world is only sketched out, it is done so fully enough so that the reader never feels at a loss and is done so interestingly enough that the reader often wants to learn much more than is revealed.The same holds true for many of the characters--Gregor, the young human princess and her cousin from the underworld, the grandfatherly diplomat who befriends and guides Gregor, even the bats who "bond" with their human riders. Perhaps the most interesting characters are a rat whose loyalties are not quite clear and two cockroaches who join the rescue mission, the latter interesting despite their relative few words in comparison to the others. Again, aimed as it is as somewhat younger readers, the characterization comes quickly and sometimes bluntly, but there are also some fine subtleties in here and some truly moving scenes whose emotional impact is as much due to the "humanity" of the characters Collins has created as it is to the situations she places them in. I'd even go so far as to say my favorite characters, the ones I found most compelling in speech and personality, were the non-human ones. His sister Boots is a wecome source of comic relief throughout the work, lightening the tone at times, though also used as a prop to create more tension at others. Some scenes could and probably should be more fully detailed, but while a valid criticism, one can also take it as a compliment to Collins' writing since it's good enough for the reader to want more, not less. As it is, the book speeds along from Gregor's fall to his first contact with the various species of the underworld, to his growing acceptance of his responsibilities and a gradual flowering of inner qualities as the dangers of the journey unfold. All of which sounds quite positive, but it comes in fits and starts. Collins isn't afraid to give Gregor some unlikable moments and also does not shy away from the darker aspects of her tale--while some people (and I use that term loosely) rise to the occasion, others sink. And some of either kind do not survive. It's a good ending, but not necessarily a completely happy one. It's that kind of complex shading that makes Gregor rise above much of its competition. The ending also clearly points to a sequel and in this case, I can only say good. There is a lot more for Collins to mine here both in terms of the Underland society and these particular characters. I for one will look forward to seeing what happens to both.Read more ›

My name is Luke, and I am in the 5th grade. I read a book named, Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins. It is an action-packed adventure story. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. I don't usually love to sit and read, but this book made me want to read for hours and hours!

Gregor the Overlander is about a boy named Gregor, his little sister, Boots and his missing Dad. Gregor and Boots fall though a hole in the washing machine and they are taken to the Underland (a land miles under the ground). The people there think he is a great warrior that is supposed to save their land from six foot tall rats that want to destroy them. An ancient prophecy told them that an overlander (someone who lives above ground) would come and help them. Gregor does not think he is the warrior but goes on the quest hoping to find his father.

I liked this book because it is exciting. There is a lot of suspense and action. You never can tell what will happen next. Gregor the Overlander is also a very imaginative story. It is full of animals that are many times their regular size like 5 foot long ants, 3 feet tall spiders and human-sized roaches!

Gregor the Overlander is a really inspiring book too. Gregor looks after his little sister like a hawk. He was willing to die for her. When I read this book I felt like I should take better care of my brothers. Gregor was also really nice and helpful to creatures that other people looked down on. It reminded me to treat others the way I want to be treated, not like other people treat them.

I think kids who like animals and are creative will love this book. Also, if you like adventure, suspense and action this is the book for you!

Let me start off by saying I didn't think I'd like this book all that much. I read the book flap description and thought `giant rats and bats? Another quest fantasy?'. But, being the bookworm I am, I decided to at least give it a chance. I'm glad I did. And yes, it is a quest fantasy, and yes there are giant rats and bats and cockroaches too. Surprisingly, it all made for a very enjoyable read.

Gregor, our teenage hero is an ordinary boy fallen on hard times in New York City. His father vanished years ago and his mother works trying to make ends meet while he tries to take care of his siblings. All this changes when Gregor follows his baby sister, Boots, when she falls through a vent in their laundry room into an underground world with giant bugs and creatures. There are humans there too, and all of them seem to think that Gregor is the Overlander of one of their most powerful prophecies-the warrior who will unite them and bring them victory over the armies of the rats. Gregor is more interested in finding a way home, until he discovers that fulfilling the prophecy might also mean finding his father. But the prophecy is muddled and unclear-can Gregor survive the quest and make it home with his sister and father-or will it claim his life?

The story presented here is fairly well tread ground, a reluctant hero from another realm, a quest that requires a gathering of several different creatures, a prophecy that is suitably ambiguous and a dangerous enemy to be overcome. What makes it work is that the author brings the characters to life in delightful ways; the roaches, rats, bats and spiders all have their own styles and customs. As long as the reader is willing to suspend their disbelief that such things can exist, it's a very fascinating a rousing adventure tale with a very satisfying ending. Once the quest is set in motion, events happen very quickly, and our hero becomes the warrior he's required to be. And the twists and turns in the prophecy make certain that this won't be an easy ending to completely figure out. There isn't a great deal of world-building here, although there's enough to make the underground world seem real and realistic in its geography. And while the non-human characters receive some excellent characterization, I found that some of the human characters were less well fleshed out, although Boots is very charming in her way and some of the human characters are better revealed as the story progresses. Perhaps my greatest complaint with this story was that at the very end, a teaser is placed in the story for the sequel in a rather clumsy way. There's suddenly the announcement of "oh, by the way, there's another prophecy . . ." as if it were pulled out of a hat and dropped into the plot. Despite this little add on, the story itself is decent and enthralling and should keep a reader entertained until the end.

This book is dark at times, and may be a bit scary for younger readers, but most young teen and preteen readers who enjoy quest fantasy will likely enjoy it. Older readers may find the characters a bit too young for their interest -this is definitely not a universal read, but it works well for its age group. Readers who enjoy this will want to go on to read GREGOR AND THE PROPHECY OF THE BANE, which is the next book in the series. Other types of books these readers may enjoy will be THE DARK IS RISING sequence by Susan Cooper and SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD by Diane Duane.

More About the Author

Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.

Suzanne Collins' other series, The Underland Chronicles, (first book is Gregor the Overlander) is great. She takes an unbelievable plot and makes it interesting. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed and overlooked due to the popularity of The Hunger Games. I do recommend The Underland... Read More